“INSPERIENCES” So What's Driving the Home-Upgrading and INSPERIENCE Trend? Well, Try One Or More of the Below

“INSPERIENCES” So what's driving the home-upgrading and INSPERIENCE trend? Well, try one or more of the below:

INTRODUCTION

"In a consumer society dominated by experiences in the (semi) public domain -- often branded, designed, themed and curated to the nines -- INSPERIENCES represent consumers' desire to bring top-level experiences into their domestic domain." Rampant individuality: we are all MASTERS OF THE YOUNI- • VERSE, our homes turning into highly connected, sophisticated Consumers becoming participants. Creation more valued than control and entertainment centers. consumption. Two-way relationships. Yes, there IS a shift going on. Don't get us wrong, though: this is a parallel world. One-way • Post 9/11 insecurity: 'let's stay in and invite some friends' says it all. consumerism is still alive and kicking. We may all dream of being MINIPRENEURS on Saturdays and members of GENERATION C • Convenience: consumers are still time-starved, so having or on Wednesdays, yet ﬁnd ourselves doing some serious shopping doing *anything* at home means not having to venture out, for the BEST OF THE BEST on Thursdays. which saves time. Recap • Unheard-of levels of prosperity for hundreds of millions of MASS You know about 'cocooning' (the need CLASS members from Sao Paulo to Singapore to San Francisco, to retreat from the harsh realities of and ever-higher demands for comfort and quality from mature life, which was big in the 80s and and experienced consumers. (Americans alone spend more than 90s), and you may have studied USD 125 billion annually on remodeling their homes!) The global 'Home Haven' and 'Hiving' concepts; standard is now the BEST OF THE BEST, and preferably the you may even have visited one of BEST OF THE BEST from the professional world. those 'Homes of the Future', with talking fridges and annoying robots doing The INSPERIENCE trend isn't slowing down. In fact, we're spot- their Jetsons spiel. ting more and more innovations, new business ideas, new business concepts capitalizing on this phenomenon. So, as 'in the Fact is, consumers' homes are and comfort of one's own home' takes on an entirely new meaning, will forever be their castles, cocoons, here's a new round of our latest and greatest INSPERIENCE ob- most prized possessions, which servations (for earlier spottings, please go here): means spotting new domestic trends, before others do, could net you serious bucks, euros, pounds and yens.

So the big thing in the world of domestic bliss right now? How about re- creating experiences from the outside world into INSPERIENCES for the home? Mind you, INSPERIENCES will be as much about extending these experiences as flat out replacing them: consumers will still choose to visit a 'real' Crunch gym on the weekend, they will still hang out in bars with friends, they will still stay in hotels, and they will still come to the office for meetings and human contact. www.trendwatching.com 1 / 10 1. Specialty rooms and spaces

Consumers with space to spare* are installing 'specialty rooms and spaces' like there is no tomorrow: think home theaters, game rooms, exercise rooms, outdoor living areas (with every comfort and all possible technology), dance rooms, basketball courts, yoga rooms, home spas, bar rooms, and so on. Check out:

* From empty nesters and baby boomers ﬁnding a new purpose for vacant rooms instead of selling their 4 BR homes, to the increase in second or even third home ownership -- there are 6.6 US-based Magnolia, a division of BestBuy, is turning the art of million second homes in the US, and roughly 10% of all EU installing home theatres (from reclining seats and huge screens to households own a second dwelling. sophisticated sound systems) into a branded, nation-wide business: "Magnolia is the new service that will customize your home Home Theaters theater [i.e. tell you exactly what to buy] and make it all work to- gether [i.e. come to your house and hook it all up]". There are currently 70 Magnolia store-in-stores in BestBuys across the US, targeting a massive market: according to the National Association of Home Builders, 36 percent of people building new homes want a media room, with the majority spending USD 5,000-55,000 (EUR 4,125-41,250/GBP 2,840-28,400) on their systems. Interna- tional expansion sounds like a no-brainer.

No home theater is complete without theater style seating: Hawai- ian Lomi peddles the Ultimate Home Theater Series, a line of The battle for the living room is on! From electronics giants like massage chairs and accessories. Think E-Motion massage chairs Philips, Sony and Samsung to Google's new video store, every- and center tables with built-in cup holders and storage space. one is rushing to market to help shape and own the future of home entertainment (read: turning living rooms if not entire homes into private cineplexes).

Which means that consumers looking to intertain (grand)children, friends and themselves, now really DO have everything at their ﬁngertips to install true home theatres. Whether it's movies or the Super Bowl in the US, or the World Cup in the EU, 2006 sure looks like a stellar year for big scale, audio visual INSPERI- ENCES. Check out the following related new business ideas:

And no movies without popcorn, either! The A1 Home theater popcorn popper serves up professional-grade popcorn from a popper with contemporary silver-and-black styling, and optional cart to complete the theater look. www.trendwatching.com 2 / 10 Home Elevators Wine Rooms

How about INSPERIENCES for (aspiring) oenologists? To relive the Ideal for aging boomers, or UBER PREMIUM addicts who want intoxicating part of that three Michelin star experience, and out-do the same convenience as experienced in commercial buildings: everything else, consumers turn to GE's Monogram Walk-In Wine home elevators! Daytona Elevator installs two-stop pneumatic Vault, a 7-by-8 foot computerized wine chamber, which lets users vacuum elevators (which means they use suction) for USD keep track of their inventory online. The vault holds as many as 975 20,000-22,000 (EUR 16,500-18,150/GBP 11,350-12,495) per lift. bottles, and costs USD 30,000 (EUR 24,750/GBP 17,000). For even bigger McMansions, Access Elevators will charge USD 26,000 to 28,000 for a cherry panel, accordion-style gate, three- There's also a MASSCLUSIVITY edition: a 57-bottle under-the- stop elevator. Consumers more interested in maple/walnut wall counter wine refrigerator. The stainless-steel fridge (USD 1,999- panels are served by Waupaca Elevator's three-stop hydraulic 2,999/EUR 1,650-2,475/GBP 1,120-1,680) has a "privacy glass" lifts. The next must-have necessity? door that turns from clear to opaque with the push of a button.

Private Rooms Competition comes from the Liebherr WS 4600 Wine Cabinet. For beer-soaked INSPERIENCES, see our products and services spottings below.

Add this monster to your INSPERIENCE slash gaming slash inter- tainment watch-list: Yamaha's Entertainment MyRoom. The room, well, box, contains a soundproof 2.5 square meter area for playing noisy games, listening to music, working and studying, or just 'being'. Originally designed for professional musicians, it comes complete with two power inputs, a ventilation fan, optional windows and an internal lock. Why rent a sound studio or hang out at BE- ING SPACES if you can have one at home?

www.trendwatching.com 3 / 10 2. Products and Services

Are your customers literally not living that large (from urban warri- ors in Manhattan to aspiring members of the middle class in South Korea)? Here are some 'previously-only-available-in-the-outside- world-or-professional- ﬂavor' goods and services that may transform even the tiniest of apartments into INSPERIENCE centers:

Services | Stop-by Entertainment

More pampering: spa AND space-starved INSPERIENCE seekers in Southern California can have Spa On Location stop by: it's a mobile spa in the form of a 36-foot RV that parks in front of customers' homes. The on-board treatment center provides massage therapy, facials, manicures, and pedicures. A minimum 4-hour treatment is charged at USD 1,250 (EUR 1,030/GBP 700), which leaves open a market for more modestly-prized alternatives. There's more than a hint of POP-UP RETAIL in here as well.

Products | Beer Taps

• What about REAL home theater shows? In November 2005, Polish Teatr Rozmaitosci, located in Warsaw, started performing their play 'Mleko' ('milk') in customers' living rooms or kitchens, during lunch time or in the evenings. The cost of a living room play is PLN 500 (EUR 150/USD 182/GBP 103). (Spotted by Michal Sobczyk, Springspotter Network.)

So whatever happened to professional home beer taps for consumer customers, which we ﬁrst covered in 2004? Well, they took off big time, and are set to become even bigger with a soccer- obsessed summer in Europe kicking off on June 9th.

Numbers? First movers Krups/Heineken sold more than 150,000 BeerTenders in The Netherlands alone, while 1,4 million refrigerated 5 liter kegs found their way to INSPERIENCE minded consumers. Beer brands available are Heineken, Amstel, Brand, Wieckse Witte, Gosser, and Zipfer.

Competition has recently emerged in the form of Perfect Draft, a Philips-Interbrew home tap, sold in The Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and Belgium. More than 45,000 taps have been sold in the Benelux. Brands available: Dommelsch, Hertog Jan, Grolsch, Bavaria, Jupiler, Stella Artois, Diekirch, Becks, Diebels, Dinkelacker, and Hasseröder. Both taps retail for EUR 199 (USD In the UK, the Powderpuff Girls will send a team of professional 240/GBP 135). make-up artists in sexy but prim Agent Provocateur-inspired uni- forms to ordinary homes, preening lady guests with a VIP hair and make-up session. A true INSPERIENCE, and one that can be cop- ied by many services that are celeb-only now. (Spotted by Emma Crameri, Springspotter Network.)

www.trendwatching.com 4 / 10 Even more affordable is the Canon Pixma MP950 All-In-One Photo Kiosk, which, for USD 450 (EUR 370/GBP 255), features a 7-colour ink system producing 9600 x 2400 colour dots per inch And the saga continues: Dutch appliance manufacturer Edy re- and has the ability to scan up to 12 negatives or 8 slides; wireless cently introduced the HomePub, a EUR 900 (USD 1,090/GBP printing included. This is the stuff that not only tilts the scale from 619) fridge with a built-in beer tap, which works with most 5 liter professional lab to DIY, but may even turn consumers into MINI- kegs available in supermarkets. After the invasion of professional- PRENEURS, professionally printing their friend's and family's pics grade coffee machines, and now beer taps, what will be next for for a small fee! The side business in all kinds of professional photo kitchens-turned-espresso bars/cafes? How about professional papers and inks should be tasty, too. teppanyaki griddles? ;-) Products | Health Products | Photo Labs

Providing consumers with the same professional medical equipment at home as they have to come to rely on in the outside world, Philips is making good money from its HeartStart Home. The list of professional services migrating to the domestic domain The device comes to the rescue to anyone trying to save the life of is endless. Take photography. First it was professional, zillion-pixel a person who suffers a sudden cardiac arrest. The HeartStart digital cameras becoming available to the general public (if not Home comes with audio instructions -- a clear, calm voice talking GENERATION C), now it's the prints that join the INSPERIENCE the user through each step. It also senses and adapts the instruc- trend. The Sony Snap Lab is a commercial photo printer, but at tions based on the user's actions, and decides whether a shock is USD 1,650 (EUR 1,360/GBP 935) -- and no doubt getting cheaper necessary (only delivering a shock only if needed). Consumers by the week -- it may well be a hit with home users. It takes rolls of pay USD 1,695 (EUR 1,400/GBP 960). Want more? Check out the photo paper instead of sheets, so it can print as many as 300 pic- Braun SensorControl, which lets consumers professionally moni- tures in one go, at a rate of 13 seconds per photo. JPEG, TIFF, tor their blood pressure at home. With an ageing yet outspoken, and BMP images up to 6400 x 4800 dots per inch are supported, self-help obsessed population, why do we feel there's more to and the Snap Lab features integrated Memory Stick, Compact- follow in this space? Flash, SD, SmartMedia, xD, and USB slots (source: Engadget).

www.trendwatching.com 5 / 10 3. Where do consumers find inspiration? To get a feel for what's doing in this space (and to come up with a short list of hotels that should carry your professional or haute- design stuff as part of their collection), check out the following hotel stores:

• Westin At Home • W The Store • Soﬁtel SO Boutique • Holiday Inn Express SmartMart • Le Parker Meridien New York ("Take It Home, Don't Steal It") • NineZero Hotel • James Hotels • St Regis Monarch Beach Resort • Loews Park Avenue At Home • Kimpton Hotels

Or contact these fulﬁlment companies: • Hotels At Home • Boxport • Hoteluxury

So where do consumers encounter superior experiences that make them crave domestic versions of the BEST OF THE BEST? Try stylish hotels: they're at the forefront of providing consumers with INSPERIENCE inspiration. These days, virtually every up- scale hotel chain has turned its rooms and shared spaces into virtual INSPERIENCE showrooms. From TRYVERTISING-style partnerships, to directly selling their entire inventory to guests.

Next? INSPERIENCE pioneer Westin Hotels, who last year sold millions of dollars worth of Heavenly Beds, now also sells Heav- enly Beds through Nordstrom department stores.

Obviously, what works for hotels, should work for other experience temples as well: what about cruise ships? Airlines? Restaurants? Casinos? (Actually, check out Atlantic City's Borgata resort and casino store, at ShopBorgata, which even sells its customers the Old Homestead steak knives and steak sauce as used/served in their restaurants.)

We'll expand further on the topic of consumer inspiration in an up- date of our upcoming, related CURATED CONSUMPTION trend.

www.trendwatching.com 6 / 10 Opportunities And what about add-on services like safety and security, servicing, maintenance, and installments? Think nurses, guards, chefs, and ﬁtness trainers to entertainers, expert cleaners, domestic tech The INSPERIENCE trend is evolving. It will continue to be about wizards, food and beverage suppliers, and so on. Be creative, and consumers wanting to 'domesticize' any interesting experience think IN the box this time! they have in the (semi) public space, at times treating every sur- ______rounding like a giant catalogue. What's changing is that increasingly, these consumers know what's the BEST OF THE BEST, both experience and insperience-wise. (Please re-read our HYGI- PREVIOUS EXAMPLES ENIA trend description.) September 2004

Thus, the main opportunity? Dreaming up the INSPERIENCE Sure, you know about 'cocooning' (the need to retreat from the equivalent of all experiences you currently offer your cus- harsh realities of life, which was big in 80s and 90s), and you may tomers. The main challenge? Be prepared to encounter even have studied 'Home Haven' and 'Hiving' concepts; you may even higher customer expectations: superior INSPERIENCES will have visited one of those 'Homes of the Future', with talking fridges lead to expectations of even more mind-blowing EXPERI- and annoying robots doing their Jetsons spiel. Fact is, consumers' ENCES. homes are and will forever be their castles, cocoons, most prized possessions, which means spotting domestic trends before others Oh, and we haven't even spoken about outdoor-INSPERIENCES, do could net you serious bucks, euros, pounds and yens. but take one look at Sportcourt, Mirage Outdoor Concepts, Home Infatuation, Micro Cool, Lux Outdoor, and CoolLine, and you'll get the picture. There's money to be made by installing professional- grade basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts, water-proof TV sets, and even outdoor climate control (!).

So here's what TRENDWATCHING.COM suspects to be the next big thing in the world of domestic bliss: INSPERIENCES. Basi- cally, in a consumer society and outside world dominated by experiences, preferably branded, designed, themed and curated to the nines, the INSPERIENCES trend represents consumers' desire to invite brands offering experiences exclusive to the (semi) public domain, to set up shop within their own domestic domain.

Needless to say, before they're allowed to pass through the front door, some of these experiences need to be stripped from the dan- gers, annoyances, and unwanted interactions with strangers that normally come attached. Think installing Crunch-operated home gyms in that spare room, tapping near-perfect beers on a Heineken Nor have we discussed the surge in communal rooms, mirroring BeerTender in one's Entertainment Room, or decking out the mas- cool neighborhood bar and restaurant experiences (we'll make ter bedroom with Westin's Heavenly Beds, pillows and linen. sure to give that one its own trend description). Or the latest in home ofﬁces. Or yoga rooms. Or ambient/mood lighting, which is Mind you, INSPERIENCES will be as much about extending out- already making inroads in trendy stores around the world, and side world experiences as replacing them: consumers will still ready for domestic use. And by now, you are no doubt ready to choose to visit the 'real' Crunch on the weekend, they will still add your own sightings and ideas. hang out in bars with friends, they will still stay in hotels, and they will still come into the ofﬁce for meetings and human contact. So, will we soon see Starbucks coffee bars for the home? Will Pathe and WarnerBros partner with Magnolia, to take command of the millions of home theaters popping up in residential areas around the world? Will restaurant chains install their equipment in domestic kitchens? Are hotels going to outsource all their physical assets to stylish partners so everything becomes part of a SEE HEAR BUY world? www.trendwatching.com 7 / 10 to work or to play. It's where your friends want to go when they come over, it's where you stay when you're home. It may house your big screen TV and video games, or maybe a pool table and some plush couches. Central are entertainment, leisure, and satis- faction. It's a crib's most prized possession."

Last but not least, popular Game Rooms are now outﬁtted with such conveniences as in-home bars with authentic beer taps, toys, billiards tables, darts, shufﬂeboards, poker sets, backgam- mon, arcade stations, video games, air hockey, pin ball and foos- So what's driving the home-upgrading and INSPERIENCE trends? ball, mirroring bars and cafes in every possible way except for the Well, try one or more of the below: limited opening hours. • Rampant individuality -- we are all Masters of the Youniverse these days, our homes turning into highly connected, sophisticated control and entertainment centers) • Post 9/11 insecurity -- 'let's stay in and invite some friends' says it all • Unheard-of levels of prosperity for hundreds of millions of MASS CLASS members from Sao Paulo to Singapore to San Francisco, and ever-higher demands for comfort and quality from 'mature' and experienced consumers. (Americans alone spend more than 125 billion USD annually on remodeling their homes!)

So, as 'in the comfort of one's own home' takes on an entirely new meaning, we've rounded up a random number of telling INSPERI- Laundry Rooms. Whirlpool Corp.'s INSPERIENCE comes in the ENCE spottings, examples, insights and related trends: form of the Whirlpool Family Studio, a multi-functional space that combines high-tech clothing care, such as the ImPress Ironing INSPERIENCE | Rooms and Spaces Station, SinkSpa Jetted Sink, DryAire Drying Cabinet, Duet Fabric Care System, and Personal Valet Clothes Revitalizing System. Consumers with premium space (from empty nesters and baby From Whirlpool's website:"The Personal Valet® Clothes Vitalizing boomers ﬁnding a new purpose for vacant rooms instead of selling System reduces your trips to the dry cleaner and limits the amount their 4 BR homes, to the increase in second or even third home of time spent ironing." ownership -- there are 6.6 million second homes in the US, and roughly 10% of all EU households own a second dwelling) are Laundry rooms owners will also welcome Siemens' new profes- now installing: sional EUR 1199 (USD 1499) shirt-ironing appliance, dubbed the 'Dressman', an appliance that elevates domestic ironing to indus- trial levels. Tagline: "Its results even amaze professional launder- ers". In Germany, Siemens sold about 4000 units within a few months after introduction in March 2004.

Home Theaters. Industry experts believe one out of every four U.S. households now has some kind of home theater. 37 percent have a 30-inch or larger TV screen and about 8 percent (!) of new homes are being built with a home theater or media room. And Home Offices. In 2004, nearly a third of the US workforce, or 44 according to the National Association of Home Builders' "Housing million individuals, is expected to regularly work at home on at 2004: Facts, Figures and Trends", media rooms and home thea- least a part-time basis (In-Stat/MDR). Similar numbers apply to ters are counted among the luxuries 28 percent of their respon- many EU countries. The Creative Class is making waves, and dents would someday like to have. The cost of a media room can home offices are fast becoming a serious INSPERIENCE battle- range in price, depending on the quality of components used, from ground: from high speed WiFi and professional coffee machines to USD 5-15,000; basic home theaters range from USD 15-20,000. high performance furniture and stylish in-house meeting spaces, (Source: TimesCommunity.com.) home offices will exceed traditional office experiences. Not sur- prising then that Office Depot, the office supplies giant, recently And from home theaters it's a small step to Boom Boom Rooms introduced the Christopher Lowell Collection (designed by Lowell, (aka Boys Rooms or Entertainment Rooms). As defined by MTV: the Emmy-award winning designer and TV personality), offering "A Boom Boom Room is a place where you go to chill or to party, 'affordable office furniture and accessories that work with any look, www.trendwatching.com 8 / 10 any lifestyle, and any budget'. As ads (popping up in business INSPERIENCE | Products and Services mags like Entrepreneur) for the new furniture line put it: "If you wanted your home office to look like an office, you'd work in an Your customers not living that large? Don't worry: space chal- office"! And "Can you spot the office in this home office?" lenged city dwellers are as much a part of this trend as the 6 BR crowd, as the INSPERIENCE trend also encompasses a wide range of 'professional' or '5 star living' goods and services that may transform even the tiniest of apartments into INSPERIENCE centers:

Sports and Fitness Areas. Home gyms are vying with home theaters as the spot for everyone's favourite INSPERIENCE! From ﬁtness rooms, yoga rooms, and spas to basketball courts, tennis courts and swimming pools, working out is taking place at home these days. In the US alone, some USD 4.7 billion was spent on home exercise equipment last year, according to the National Shopping. Forget QVC or TellSell: how about retailers actually Sporting Goods Association. Home gyms are now even available setting up shop in consumers' living rooms? UK's Topshop, the from WalMart, while more professional service providers in the US high street store known for bringing runway fashion to the British include the likes of Home Gym Design and Underdog Fitness. In masses, is now literally bringing fashion directly to the home. Cus- London, Muswell Hill-based Elite Home Fitness (teaming up with tomers of the aptly named 'Topshop To Go' service book an ap- Bang & Olufsen) specializes in creating tailor-made gym facilities pointment (within Greater London's M25 area), send Topshop for domestic use. Next: spas and in-home health centers, to cater style advisors a list of wants and needs, and the advisors then to the needs of ageing boomers, who will increasingly opt for in- come around and present and advise right in your living room. A house medical care instead of undergoing the regular hospital true INSPERIENCE! And all this at no charge or obligation to buy. 'experience'. (Source: TrendCentral, Times Online.) Which other shops will follow this 'INSPERIENCE meets POP UP RETAIL' concept? Bathrooms. Blame the Four Seasons and other 5 star hotels for homeowners replacing standard shower heads with oversized 'rain' shower heads, and adding body sprays, steam showers, solid surface shower walls, and heated tile ﬂoors, if not spa-like tubs, with whirlpools and waterfalls built in. See also below, 'The World as a Catalogue'.

Parties. As recently featured in our other newsletter, Springwise New Business Ideas, US based Traveling Vineyard provides a classy INSPERIENCE by hosting wine tasting parties at clients' homes. Traveling Vineyard's home wine tastings are like Tupper- Other dedicated INSPERIENCE rooms and spaces we're keeping ware parties for wine -- their website bills the events as 'a party in an eye on: make-up rooms, grooming rooms, increasingly profes- a box'. The company began running events in April of 2002, and sional wine cellars, media rooms, the revival of the library, sewing now boasts over 100 Personal Wine Consultants in 11 states in rooms, meditation rooms, pet suites (including automatic pet the US. feeder, doggie door, pet drinking fountain, and a shower for a quick rinse after a romp outdoors; source: Realtor.com), personal Home Appliances. Since 2000, total annual sales for major home beauty salons and dance studios. appliances in the US have steadily increased more than 13 percent, from $16.5 billion to $18.8 billion, according to the Associa- tion of Home Appliance Manufacturers. And as the best experiences often involve indulgence of the epicurean kind, no wonder that some of the coolest INSPERIENCES of the moment are to be found in the kitchen. www.trendwatching.com 9 / 10 With literally everything for sale these days, the outside world is turning into a giant showroom, a catalogue, a smorgasbord of products and experiences that can be replicated within the safe conﬁnements of one's private domain. Oh, and if the above re- minds you of our 5 STAR LIVING trend, you're right: buying an apartment that's serviced by a next-door 5 star hotel is HOT: it's about creating INSPERIENCES by literally attaching your home to Professional home coffee machines like the Nestle Nespresso or leading providers of luxury experiences in the outside world. the Siemens Surpresso now put many restaurants and bars to shame. And recently introduced Krups/Heineken home beer taps OPPORTUNITIES (BeerTender), with proprietary refrigerated kegs, sell like hotcakes Two months ago, we pointed out that our LIFE CACHING trend in The Netherlands, where they were introduced less than half a represented a next step for the Experience Economy concept: year ago. Krups' competitor Philips will introduce its own tap, the how consumers actually can and will capture the avalanche of Perfect Draft, in cooperation with Interbrew, in Belgium this No- today's experiences instead of just undergoing them. INSPERI- vember. The press release tellingly states that "this system has ENCES in that sense also represent a new step, this one being been developed jointly by Interbrew and by Philips, whose previ- about mirroring (semi) public experiences within the conﬁnements ous successful partnerships, based on extensive research on of one's house or apartment. So, whether you are focused on pro- changing consumer behavior, have brought new experiences to viding customers with goods and services they consume at home, peoples' homes." or whether you're an expert in experiences for the outside world, you can't go wrong with creating branded, high quality INSPERI- ENCES for ever more spoilt and demanding consumers.

INSPERIENCES will most likely evolve into a true Battle for the Home, physically and virtually, in which only the best of the best from the worlds of entertainment and experiences will do. Con- sumers will want to 'import' any interesting experience they have in the (semi) public space, at times feeling they're moving around in a giant catalogue. Think W and Westin Hotels on a much Needless to say, professional kitchens have never been more grander scale. The opportunities, not just for the key INSPERI- popular. The latest requirements are floating countertops, granite ENCES, but also for add-ons like safety and security, servicing, surfaces and stainless steel ovens, just like those that top chefs and maintenance, are endless. From nurses, guards, chefs, and around the world use. It's the same story for outdoor INSPERI- fitness trainers to entertainers, expert cleaners, and food and bev- ENCES: grills these days come with electronic ignitions, smoker erage suppliers. trays, brass-sealed burners and ceramic skins. Makers (like Vie- luxe) dub their grill suites 'outdoor entertainment centers', and The challenge? Well, besides dreaming up the INSPERIENCES price tags north of USD 9,000 are no longer an exception. From equivalent of all experiences you currently offer your customers, Vieluxe's website: "after your purchase you'll enjoy the Vieluxe be prepared to encounter even higher customer expectations: Concierge personal service program. Owners receive complimen- superior INSPERIENCES will lead to expectations of even more tary spring tune-ups for the first three years. Experts are available mind-blowing EXPERIENCES! by phone 24 hours a day to answer grilling questions or make suggestions. And your Vieluxe grill is covered by our Limited Life- So will we soon see Starbucks coffee bars for the home? Will time Warranty. With Vieluxe, ownership is more like membership." consumers' bedrooms be decked out completely by W or Westin Hotels? Will Pathe and WarnerBros take command of the millions INSPERIENCES Sideways: "The World as a Catalogue". Ho- of home theaters popping up in residential areas around the tels selling their merchandise to guests, from the superior beds world? As always, more examples and insights to follow as we'll they slept on to the oversized shower heads in the bathroom, is a continue to track this trend. phenomenon we spotted quite a while ago. Think Westin's Heav- enly Bed and Heavenly Bath, or W Hotels' wineglasses, cow-skin rugs, lingerie, silk handbags, music CDs and, eventually, floral arrangements and MP3 players (source: USA Today).